St. Helens 06-08-2014

[markesc]

Camped out at a nice quiet spot just before the main parking area (zoo), then headed up with a few good friends!

I have to say this was the BEST mt. climb experience as it's my first time owning stupid sticks, and first time being able to slide down nearly 3k feet from the summit in about 5-6 extended slides. A few close calls with some rocks, and I even caught air a few times! Learned how to self arrest using one stupid stick, as I was "that guy" on one of the steeper sections back near the tree line, but nothin beats the griswold like speed one can gain with the help of a thick plastic bag!!!

Anyways, nows' the time to go as sliding down the snow beats the misery of the downhill boulder section in the hot sun!!

Even had a ranger siting! (rare species!!)

Summit:

And a few on the way up...

Some go pro action, not the best as my only option was to zip it into my fleece, and enjoy my annoying laugh!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AV3YzCj ... e=youtu.be

[retired jerry]

no picture of the rare ranger siteing either? bummer

[markesc]

no picture of the rare ranger siteing either? bummer

Heh!

Nope! But I think he's in the video if ya look closely...

[-Q-]

you have a better chance of spotting sasquatch than a backcountry ranger in national forests haha

[retired jerry]

I saw two rangers hiking around Three Sisters. They had a bit of an attitude - like they were there to enforce rules. I said my permit was in my pack - they said to get it out. But that's good, maybe, to keep people following rules. Except people are pretty well behaved in my experience. Leave trash around a little is about the worst thing...

I saw a ranger hiking around Three Sisters another time. He was carrying a shovel. He said hi to me - friendly.

I saw a ranger in the Wallowas. He said hi to me - friendly. I could see him down the trail a ways asking to see someone's permit. I don't know why he didn't ask for mine, which was in my pocket.

[romann]

Great pictures, all of them but that first photo with the crater and steam is *classic*. Yeah I think climbing MSH now beats by far climbing it in the summer.

I did it once in October, was too little snow for glissading but the temps were nice & snow cemented smaller rocks. It was government shutdown and permit requirement was lifted, so I didn't meet a ranger (now, when's the next shutdown?)

[-Q-]

I saw two rangers hiking around Three Sisters. They had a bit of an attitude - like they were there to enforce rules. I said my permit was in my pack - they said to get it out. But that's good, maybe, to keep people following rules. Except people are pretty well behaved in my experience. Leave trash around a little is about the worst thing...

I saw a ranger hiking around Three Sisters another time. He was carrying a shovel. He said hi to me - friendly.

I saw a ranger in the Wallowas. He said hi to me - friendly. I could see him down the trail a ways asking to see someone's permit. I don't know why he didn't ask for mine, which was in my pocket.

Wow, I am pretty surprised to hear this. I have seen a grand total of 0 backcountry rangers in many hundreds of hikes in National Forests. National Parks are a different story obviously.

[retired jerry]

If that was four years, that would be about 200 days of hiking

[Roy]

If that was four years, that would be about 200 days of hiking

Ive been up there 127 times over 80 up Monitor ridge and seen four rangers in 26 years. About one every 30 times or 4.5 years. Last one in 2010. Have only talked to two and they were summer interns going back to school in the fall. That was in the nineties and they were nice kids.

Also two at the Three sisters one at Baker two on the Boundary trail one last year one yesterday and one at Adams. I'm not counting national parks.

And only had a permit checked twice.

[retired jerry]

ahhh... then you don't need a Mt St Helens climbing permit